Ferndale Community School, Ferndale

Ferndale Community School is an English-medium school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

It had 628 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

32% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 9% have additional learning needs; 2% are learning English as an additional language; and 7% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 103 pupils (Year 11) to 153 (Year 9).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £7,084 per pupil, against £6,031 in 2021-22. It ended 2024-25 with a deficit of £196k.

Estyn's report on its October 2024 inspection summarises Ferndale Community School like this:

"Ferndale Community School combines high quality care, support and guidance with effective teaching and learning experiences. As a result, most pupils engage positively with their teachers and peers, and many make secure progress in their learning. The school is highly inclusive and has a range of successful alternative provisions, such as the ‘Gorsaf Wên’ additional learning needs (ALN) class. Positive and trusting working relationships, between all members of the school community, are a notable feature of the school’s success. Leaders and teachers provide pupils with a carefully designed curriculum. In collaboration with its partner primary schools, the school has developed a clear vision for the development of its Curriculum for Wales. The importance of high-quality teaching is central to this vision."

"In general, teachers use their strong subject knowledge to encourage pupils to want to know more and give pupils useful feedback on how to improve their work. In the most effective lessons, teachers ask probing questions that deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. While there are opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy, numeracy and digital skills during lessons, the strategic planning for this aspect of curriculum remains underdeveloped. The school’s focus on supporting pupils’ well-being is a notable strength. Leaders have forged strong links across the local community and the school works effectively with a range of partners to enhance the support available to pupils. In recent years, leaders have focused their efforts appropriately on improving pupils’ attendance through a range of positive strategies. While this has led to some improvements, the rate of attendance remains too low."

"The headteacher, supported by governors and his newly appointed senior team, has created an environment of high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders focus purposefully on addressing national priorities, such as reducing the impact of deprivation. Self-evaluation and improvement planning activities are well-embedded across the school. However, a few aspects of self-evaluation are not precise enough to support improvement fully. Leaders have developed a strong culture of safeguarding, which permeates all aspects of the school’s work."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Improve attendance; (2) Strengthen the strategic coordination for the progressive development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum; (3) Refine self-evaluation and improvement planning processes so that they have a consistently sharp focus on the impact of provision on pupils’ learning and well- being.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ferndale Community School are Treorchy Comprehensive School (1.8 miles), St John Baptist C.I.W. High School (3.2 miles), Aberdare Community School (3.3 miles) and Mountain Ash Comprehensive School (3.7 miles).

The nearest railway station is Ton Pentre Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Glanville Terrace (opp 5), 160 metres away.